Bet On It
by Azuri-Chann
Summary: Traveling to Ikaruga with Tao is just about what Ragna expected. Making a bet with her and losing...now that wasn't supposed to happen! Rated T for Ragna's hate towards trees.


AN: It's been a while since I posted here! Here's an old oneshot I was dawdling with for too long... since way back last year. =v=

Pairing requested by **Mr. War**. Ragna x Tao if you squint~ I apologize if they seem ooc in any way n.n'

**Disclaimer: BlazBlue belongs to Ark System Works.**

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**Bet On It**

It was around midday when Ragna was reminded once again why he despised nature. Now, he most certainly wasn't the type to grunt unappreciatively at the sight of a little ladybird making its way across a dainty flower petal. But if that hypothetical ladybird were to fly in his hypothetical sandwich...only then would he have a problem.

It was almost a norm for Ragna to constantly be on the move and combined with his somewhat restless nature, he had come to like traveling. Even if that meant trekking through forests rife with wildlife. Trees loomed overhead, their wide canopies allowing few streaks of light to reach the fallen leaves and twigs that layered the mossy terrain. The beating of wings blended with the occasional call of birds. The droning buzz of insects resounded from behind shadowed bushes. All in all, this gave the place a very natur-y, very claustrophobic and very irritating feel.

But the forest was not the cause of his irritation. So it goes without saying that he actually would have carried on without giving a damn...

If it wasn't for the fact the goddamn trees had it in for him.

"Argh, dammit!" Ragna grimaced when yet another branch struck his face. That was it. Yanking the branch off the tree, the swordsman snapped it in half over his knee. Taokaka stopped in her tracks just in time to witness this display of revenge.

"Seriously...?" she laughed.

Shaking off the leaves nesting in his white hair, Ragna kept on walking, his mouth set in a grim line as he entertained thoughts of paying a visit to this little forest sometime in the future. With a match box. Just thinking about it made the walk seem more bearable.

Until the next branch decided to strike him.

"God_dammit!_ What the hell is with this place?" Tao wasn't sure what else her companion grumbled as he continued damning the outstretched branches to hell, his flaming red jacket challenging the green of the woods as he kicked random twigs out of the path in all directions. All while managing to look suave and rebel-like and _not_ like he was bordering on a fit of homicidal rage…which Tao thought was very cool.

Shifting the small bag she carried in her arms, Tao muttered, "Geez, nyow you're just acting like an old man."

"It's not like you're the one having to watch your step while carrying all this shit," Ragna said flatly, adjusting the ridiculously heavy rucksack over his shoulders as he trudged up the slope, ducking beneath the branches to avoid any more scratches. He held back a sigh as the bundle of energy known as Tao walked on ahead without a care in the world.

"You were complaining like an old man ever since cat person gave you that bag thingy," she remarked, shrugging off his bitter tone. "It doesn't even look that heavy."

And true to the Kaka's words, the reason Ragna was currently trudging through a forest with a "bag thingy" probably heavier than Tager attached to his back was the doing of none other than Jubei, who thought it wise that he was well-equipped on his journey to Ikaruga. Apparently Tao was part of the package and when the S-ranked criminal realized he couldn't convince her to stay _or_ muster up the effort to outrun her…he caved in.

Though no matter how much his grim expression suggested it, he wasn't at all bitter about being in Tao's company. In fact, he had gotten quite used to her loud and hyperactive tendencies ever since he found himself in the Kaka village not too long ago. However, her carefree outlook at that moment was enough to increase his foul mood, because unlike he predicted, Tao wasn't the one who ended up complaining all the way.

He was.

And he sure as hell was gonna continue justifying it.

"What, are you kidding? It's camping equipment, provisions, cooking utensils and a load of other crap I didn't even know Jubei owned." Ragna couldn't comprehend where his master had found the time to get all this- no...more importantly...where the hell he was keeping it in the first place since he practically shoved the backpack in his hands out of nowhere.

"Oh come on! You complain too much, nya, it's taking the fun out of everything."

"And just what's so fun about this?"

"Whatever," With a flippant wave of her paw, she passed off his question. "I betcha I can carry all that without a problem!"

"Oh yeah?"

She grinned a toothy grin, turning to face him. "Yeah, even that big-ass sword of yours," she added confidently, nodding her head towards the weapon strapped securely to his waist as she walked backwards, and to Ragna's wonder, skillfully avoided bumping into any trees.

"Ha." He scoffed, patting the sword's hilt with one hand and quirking an eyebrow her way. "You really think so, huh? Well, this is way heavier than it looks. You wouldn't even be able to _lift_ it let alone carry it all the way."

"Huh? Really?" Taokaka blinked, cocking her head to the side as she regarded the weapon curiously. "But you use it with only one hand, even doing all those fancy tricks and stuff!"

Ragna smirked. Although he wasn't as cocky as some people whose asses he would've enjoyed kicking believed, even _he_ had to chuff up at the fact that he was pretty strong.

"That's 'cause I'm awesome like that."

"Well, Tao's awesome too, nya."

"Nobody said you weren't."

"...Meow, but still."

Ragna looked at her carefully. She was definitely getting a kick out of the prospect of a nearing challenge. Now, he didn't want to dampen her mood just because he didn't foresee a copse of woods obstructing their way, but he knew what would knock her all-positive mood down a notch until they reached their destination. Just enough to make him feel less like the child on this trip.

"Okay, tell you what," he started slowly. "How about I take you up on that bet?"

Puzzled, Tao looked over her shoulder, having meandered on ahead yet again. "You want to take Tao…up?" She pointed a hesitant paw skywards.

"No, no," sighed Ragna, performing a mental facepalm. "What I mean is, let's make a bet."

Toa's tail perked. She paused in her step, intrigued. They were now in a clearing of sorts. It was warmer and lighter than the rest of the forest, pale-yellow rays of sun hanging in the air and highlighting the Kaka's thick blonde braids.

"If you can't swing this sword _or_ pick it up, you have to take back what you said about me being an old man _and _carry this shit."

The cat girl just about grinned. Of all the things that stuck out to him it was being called an old man. Even though she was bound to forget in the next five seconds, she made a mental note of it for next time when she had nothing else to do but tease him. She was starting to understand why the Bunny Lady enjoyed annoying him so much. It left one with a weird fluttery sort of feeling of satisfaction. It was strange, but she was starting to like it.

"And if I win...?" she purred, and Ragna could almost imagine her waggling her eyebrows.

"Well, you won't."

"Ha-ha. Don't act cocky, meow. What will I get if I win- no wait, _when _I win?"

_Oh brother._ The white-haired criminal narrowed his eyes in thought. "Well. Then..." he seemed to mull this over for a moment. "Then I'll stop 'complaining like an old man' as you say, until we get to Ikaruga."

"That's it? What a cheap bet, nya..."

Ragna rolled his eyes. "Agh, fine, I'll take that bag of yours too. And also do...er, whatever the hell else you want, okay?" he suggested noncommittally, before realizing that the offer was too open. So to prevent her from firing off with any impossible demands he made sure to quickly add, "Just one thing though."

Won over, Tao nodded. She crossed her arms, pressing the small satchel securely against her chest. "Okay. If Tao wins...which I will...Good Guy must kiss Tao!"

Well that threw him off.

Ragna had to stop himself from letting the rucksack fall to the ground along with his shoulders and the rest of his upper body when his hands let go of the straps momentarily. "Come again?"

He tapped his ear to make sure a bug hadn't flown in and messed up his hearing. Nope, judging by the high-pitched chirping from a tree overhead his hearing was just fine.

An aura of uncertainty seemed to roll off the young cat girl as she explained, "Well you see, Tao saw a couple kissing and...well I want to know what it feels like...it looks sorta nice, nya. Anyway, I _did_ ask Boobie Lady one time but for some reason she didn't want to show Tao how, so..."

Ragna's eyes widened a fraction. …_Was she talking about the Doc? _

Stopping himself from picturing how that little scenario would've gone down, he battled to suppress a snigger. Though Tao noticed his lips twitching and her composure seemed to slump. She was clearly embarrassed, which was an unusual thing coming from her, especially when she was acting all smug just a moment ago.

He knew very well that Tao had always been the curious type, but he never would have guessed that she would worry herself over things like that- let alone come to _him_ about it. "Isn't there something else you want...?"

Going along with this condition didn't seem like a good idea. What if she ended up being more embarrassed? He couldn't even begin to wonder how he would handle that, what with the way she was already acting like a gawky teenager. She wasn't even looking at him directly anymore.

However, Tao found the courage to lift her head, looking him straight in the face. "What? Doesn't Good Guy know how?" There was a sly grin creeping in her tone, red orbs narrowing mischievously.

"Wha- of course I- what's it of your business anyway," he said a little too abruptly.

"Ah, so you also never kissed before! Ha_ha!_"

Ragna rolled his eyes, crossing his arms while the cat girl sniggered gleefully off the side as if she had just won something. "Tch. What do you know..."

Tao perked up. "So then you'll do it? You'll kiss me if I can swing the sword?"

_Ugh. I wish she'd stop repeating the word "kiss" all the time- and so eagerly too..._

Regardless, it didn't take much effort for him to agree. "Yeah, yeah whatever." Letting the rucksack down against a nearby tree, he waved his hand lamely and muttered, "Just gimme a minute."

He was confident she wouldn't win this bet. She was strong, but it simply wasn't possible. So with that in mind, he handed his weapon to the cat girl with a self-assured nod.

Tao took it eagerly, though she didn't get much chance to tighten her grip around the hilt before the weight of the sword pulled her down like an anchor. "Meow? Hey, it is pretty heavy."

Ragna was sure not to hide his self-satisfied smile as Tao yanked and pulled and jerked the sword in her attempts to lift it. "Told you," he said quite redundantly.

However, Tao's stamina was ongoing. Tossing her surprise aside, she continued in her attempt as Ragna passed the time examining the sky with a lazy gaze.

Minutes dragged on. "Come on, we've been hanging around here long enough. Let's get going now," he said eventually, massaging his right shoulder. Tao told him to wait just a second longer. A second being five more minutes.

Ragna was tempted to sigh, but instead found himself chuckling softly. She heaved and pulled, this time standing on her toes as she jerked the hilt upwards, straining her arms. It was pretty cute, actually. She seemed convinced she could do it.

_Ha. But there's no way she could possibly- _

"Heeeya!" Tao let out a grunt as she raised her arms shakily, the sword lifting from the ground at a slow and unsteady pace. "Ohoho! See this? Tao is awesomeness, nyahaha," she expressed laughingly, holding the sword up over her head, this time with apparent ease.

"Son of a..." She did it. _She actually fucking did it._

Tao attempted a swing and the sword soared through the air into a bush a few feet away. "Er, oops..." she chuckled, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly as Ragna tried to pick his jaw up from the ground.

"So! Looks like I won Good Guy!" she exclaimed cheerfully.

While Tao proceeded to do what looked like a little happy dance (threecartwheels, a moonwalk and headswings), her companion blinked, raising his brows. He had to hand it to her, he was impressed. Sure she was pretty skilled in battle, but she wasn't one of the _strongest_ fighters he knew...

Though where Tao lacked in strength she made up in speed and she wasted no time at all to remind him of their bet. Ragna could only stare dumbly as she shuffled towards him, looking at him earnestly. "What..._now?!_" he squawked, realization setting in.

Tao let her eyes speak for themselves. Her shoulders were tense and her paws clasped together, giving off a feeling of anxious expectancy. She was making those eyes. Those goddamn unnaturally large sparkly red eyes.

...Well, fair was fair. And although at that moment he hated fairness almost as much as he hated this forest, he owed it to her.

"Okay, okay," he muttered, exhaling resignedly. "Close your eyes."

"Nya? Why?" she asked, looking up at him in confusion as he covered the short distance between them with a single stride. He dropped a hand on her shoulder with a light thump, causing that weird tingly feeling to dart around the spot. Recently Tao had been getting that feeling a lot when she was around Good Guy. It was weird (not as weird as the icky squiggly, but still weird.)

"Because. That's what you're supposed to do. No questions okay?"

Judging by how fast he said that, and how his cheeks seemed to hold a reddish tint, it would've been obvious to anyone who wasn't Tao that Ragna was not as nonchalant about giving her first kiss as he pretended to be. Though naturally Tao was oblivious, concentrating very hard on what was going to happen next and blinking with mild confusion as he lifted her chin.

She braced herself when his warm breath caressed her cheek as he dipped his head. He pressed his mouth against hers hesitantly in a chaste kiss, curious to find she had normal soft lips, which parted slightly in response and allowed the gesture to deepen. At last they broke away, their lips separating with a soft pop. Then they stood there with the awkwardness of two twelve year olds.

Tao was quiet. And surprisingly that's what made Ragna anxious. Although he appeared casual on the outside, he privately hoped the laidback bond he had with her hadn't gone to hell, all because of this bet.

_Shit, did I come on too strong?_ Ragna waited for her to say or do something that would assure that there wouldn't be any uncomfortable vibes because of this. _That _he didn't need from her. She was Tao, the happy-go-lucky girl he could take naps with and tell off whenever she bugged him for food. Awkward and Tao didn't go together, because most of the time she was oblivious to it. And that's what he liked about her.

And then it came. The wide playful grin he had become all too familiar with and the jovial ring in her voice as she cheerfully exclaimed, "Weeelllll, I'll go get the sword!"

Ragna looked at her wordlessly as she shoved her satchel in his arms and spun around to retrieve the sword. As soon as she returned he attached it to his belt, shouldered the rucksack with a groan, flung a stone up in the tree to shut an annoying bird up and soon they were off again.

He watched Tao as she walked on, her braids swaying to and fro, dangling beside her legs. She seemed completely normal again. Strangely, he wasn't disappointed about how the bet turned out. He felt sort of refreshed just knowing she was back to her usual self again, prodding him with random questions here and there, mostly involving snacks.

However, Tao was dwelling on her own thoughts. Simply thinking back on the kiss caused her face to heat up and the nonexistent butterflies in her stomach to go haywire. It was much nicer than she expected. And tasted slightly of ramen, which was extremely cool.

And even better, Good Guy wasn't being that much of an old sour puss anymore! …Kinda!

He still wouldn't let her have any of their reserve-meatbuns though. Meanie.

However, it wasn't too long before Ragna began muttering under his breath about how the universe liked to screw with him. Tao shook her head affectionately. "Hey Good Guy?"

He looked up to find her standing right in front of him, looking up at him intently. "Hm?"

Surprisingly, she scooped her paws, relieving him of the satchel he was meant to carry. "No complaining remember?"

Ragna blinked. When he shrugged half-heartedly she grinned in response, bunching the small bag against her chest and coming to walk along beside him. Which was a good thing too because as long as she was in the lead he had to keep reminding her which direction they were going.

As they continued on, Ragna came to realize he wasn't brooding as much as he was previously. _Tch, I really am getting soft if Tao's good mood can rub off on me so easily..._

Even so, with a rare feeling of appreciation toward the cat girl he set his mind on getting out of this place, intent on ignoring the chirping birds, the increasing heat and the suffocating trees. ...Right before a branch decided to slap him in the face.

"Well fu-"

Tao spun around almost eagerly, as if hoping to catch him out.

"...You're kidding me," he said tonelessly. "I can't even swear?"

"Damn right ya can't~" she exclaimed in a singsong voice, which all but ruined her imitation of him.

Ragna looked at her weirdly. With mild amusement the SS-criminal shook his head, smirking ever so slightly. _Apparently, winning bets gives her the authority to make up the rules as she goes along. Typical, typical..._

Smacking away the branches desperate to claw at him, Ragna acquiesced with no complaints, deciding for that for the moment he'd put up with nature's violence. Well, for now at least.

But _goddammit_, he was coming back here one day and he was coming back with_ fire_.


End file.
